Waterspouts (pics&info)

[chattanova]

A waterspout is an intense columnar vortex (usually appearing as a funnel-shaped cloud) that occurs over a body of water and is connected to a cumuliform cloud. In the common form, it is a nonsupercell tornado over water, and brings the water upward. Also, it is weaker than most of its land counterparts.

Waterspouts exist on the microscale, meaning their environment is less than two kilometers in width. While some waterspouts are strong (tornadic) like their land-based counterparts, most are much weaker and caused by different atmospheric dynamics. They normally develop in moisture-laden environments with little vertical wind shear along lines of convergence, such as land breezes, lake effect bands, lines of frictional convergence from nearby landmasses, or surface troughs. Waterspouts normally develop as their parent clouds are in the process of development, and it is theorized that they spin up as they move up the surface boundary from the horizontal shear near the surface, and then stretch upwards to the cloud once the low level shear vortex aligns with a developing cumulus or thunderstorm. Weak tornadoes, known as landspouts, have been shown to develop in a similar manner. An outbreak of over 66 waterspouts occurred in the Great Lakes in late September and early October 2003 along a lake effect band. Their parent cloud can be as innocuous as a moderate cumulus, or as significant as a supercell.

[chattanova]

[chattanova]

[chattanova]

[chattanova]

water cyclone and a plane: waterspout - YouTube

water cyclone and a plane: waterspout - YouTube

Singapore Waterspout - YouTube

Singapore Waterspout - YouTube

06/30/98 Sandusky Bay Water Spout - YouTube

06/30/98 Sandusky Bay Water Spout - YouTube

WATERSPOUT CROACIA - YouTube

WATERSPOUT CROACIA - YouTube

Miami Beach Waterspout / Tornado - August 12, 2003 - YouTube

Miami Beach Waterspout / Tornado - August 12, 2003 - YouTube

QE2 Water Spout - YouTube

QE2 Water Spout - YouTube

Water Spout, Indonesia, Amazing!! - YouTube

Water Spout, Indonesia, Amazing!! - YouTube

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...arch&plindex=9

[bazzybazzy]

Wow - Nice pictures chattanova! (picture 5 is amazing) I've seen pictures of these before - but I just assumed they were tornados that had just wandered off into the sea? Or is that all they are?

[chattanova]

Originally Posted by bazzybazzy

Wow - Nice pictures chattanova! (picture 5 is amazing) I've seen pictures of these before - but I just assumed they were tornados that had just wandered off into the sea? Or is that all they are?

Yeah..It's really cool isn't it I never seen them in real life but I guess that's some experience

A waterspout is an intense columnar vortex (usually appearing as a funnel-shaped cloud) that occurs over a body of water and is connected to a cumuliform cloud. In the common form, it is a nonsupercell tornado over water, and brings the water upward. Also, it is weaker than most of its land counterparts.

Welcome to the forum btw

[chattanova]

Rare waterspout forms in Montreal during storm

A funnel cloud reportedly created a rare waterspout over the St. Lawrence River at Montreal Harbour on Wednesday, July 23, 2008.

Environment Canada confirms that a funnel cloud formed in Montreal's east end Wednesday afternoon, creating a rare tornado-like waterspout.

Images of the event showed what appeared to be a twisting pillar of water rising out of the St. Lawrence River.

Montreal was expected to be pounded by rain throughout the day. Environment Canada warned of winds reaching up to 90 kilometres per hour, and hail two centimetres in diametre.

But despite those conditions, waterspouts are more commonly found in tropical weather.

"These systems are usually formed in places like the Florida Keys because the temperatures are warmer and the water temperatures are also warm," said Martin Belanger, a meteorologist with MeteoMedia.

"This one formed in Montreal, which is very rare."

He added that funnel clouds which trigger waterspouts are basically a "tornado over the water," and have similar characteristics.

"It looks kind of like a tornado. It's similar," he told CTV Montreal.

"It has the same winds turning counterclockwise, and the wind speeds are roughly around 60 to 120 kilometres per hour. This time it was formed over water, which is why it's called a waterspout."

There were no reports of damage from the waterspout.

A view of the waterspout from across the St. Lawrence River in Longueuil, Que. on Wednesday, July 23, 2008.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...hub=TopStories

[chattanova]

YouTube

YouTube

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=C_lJoFTubYk

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=C_lJoFTubYk

YouTube

YouTube

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=NpPPArVa_rA

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=NpPPArVa_rA

YouTube

YouTube

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=nJeOcxgKoFs

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=nJeOcxgKoFs

[qasrose]

wow there awesome, i would love to see one of these up close.Thanks for sharing chattanova

[chattanova]

Originally Posted by qasrose

wow there awesome, i would love to see one of these up close.Thanks for sharing chattanova

Me too, but I have no chance here where I live(yet)
Though there was one reported here, but that was a tiny tiny one lol http://www.ba.no/nyheter/article2805045.ece (video)

[lookfar]

Cool thread chatt I've seen pics of them but not the vid footage before, awesome! Don't think I'd like to see one up close though, eek

[chattanova]

Originally Posted by lookfar

Cool thread chatt I've seen pics of them but not the vid footage before, awesome! Don't think I'd like to see one up close though, eek

Thanks looky They are amazing, I believe Florida is a hotspot for these, so stay away from there

[lookfar]

Originally Posted by chattanova

Thanks looky They are amazing, I believe Florida is a hotspot for these, so stay away from there

Haha, that's ok then as I have no desire to go there, it's near the bottom of my list of places to visit, lol

[chattanova]

Waterspout ,Texas

Here are a few photos of a Tornado/Water spout that touched down on Sept 9th 2008, at about 6:30 pm. I was working security at Buchanan Dam (Texas) and snapped these photos. This is a rare opportunity to see a Tornado/Water Spout this close and one that is so well defined. I thought the listeners would be interested in seeing it. These photos made top story on Fox News that evening.

--Harry Keil